Not quite the same for Dead Presidents at the L.A. County Fair

With horse racing no longer at Fairplex a walkway from The Farm has been made, with various vendors, which cuts through the infield of the racetrack enabling visitors to the L.A. County Fair to get from one side to the other much quicker than past years.
Will Lester — Staff photographer

Seemingly, the Dead Presidents in the billfold (especially George Washington) sense when it’s time to make their traditional appearance at Pomona. In past years, they really enjoyed the outing and, on most days, never made it back to the wallet.

The Los Angeles County Fair horse meet was always an exciting time, resembling a yearly family reunion that would last for days as we watched thoroughbreds, quarter horses and appaloosas compete at the 5/8-mile track. It was a time to dance to a pay window; or grumble, tear up the ticket and start studying the next race.

This year, it’s time to just grumble. For the first time since 1933, there will be no horse racing at the L.A. County Fair. Tradition and history have been taken away by the fair board, which gave away its racing dates to Los Alamitos, which opens today.

Imagine that: having to travel to Orange County for the L.A. County Fair meet.

It was always a treat to go to Pomona, sit in the grandstands and talk with others who have a similar interest, however slight. It was an escape from the reality of everyday living, like stepping back in time, having to walk down to the pari-mutuel windows for a $2 bet (or bigger if you were adventurous or knew the field).

In fact, the first pari-mutuel bet in the state was made in 1933 and it triggered attendance at the fair. On the flip side, it was the start of off-track betting that signaled the start of a trend that has killed not only horse racing attendance all over the country, but fair turnout as well.

We will miss those features that were unique to Fairplex, small things absent from larger tracks such as Santa Anita, Del Mar, and before it also shut down, Hollywood Park. At Fairplex, jockeys had to walk back to their quarters in front of the fans, who weren’t shy about voicing opinions on their performance.

The track was small enough to get a close view of the action down the backstretch, or see the rise of intensity on the last turn and the quick sprint to the finish. The opening of the gates was audible to all, shortly before announcer Trevor Denman would start his call with “They’re off.” And for those on the ‘carpet,’ what horse players call the area between the grandstands and track, one could feel the pounding of the hooves as they ran past.

In the days before the track was lengthened to its present status, it was called the “Bullring” for its tight corners on the half-mile. It was at that point jockeys would start with a mouthful of beans, one for each lap. Every once in a while, a jock would spit out more than one bean and start to slow down a lap from the finish. It was then the players would really comment on the jockey’s ride on his walk back.

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Oh, there were great jockeys. David Flores, “The King of Pomona,” was always a good bet as he was the all-time win leader at Pomona, a title he took from Francisco Mena and challenged by Martin Pedroza. Other jockeys with big-time names and reputations who raced there included Laffit Pincay, Alex Solis, Donald Pierce, Ron Hanson, Ray York and Roby Kilgore.

And don’t forget the trainers. For many fans, if they didn’t bet on the jockey, it was the trainer. Betting on the likes of Jerry Fanning, Ted West, Mel Stute, Craig Lewis and Doug O’Neil usually meant a trip back to the pay window. Of course, there are those old enough to remember D. Wayne Lukas and Chino’s very own Rex Ellsworth at the Fair.

The horses weren’t just headed for the glue factory if they didn’t win. Codex, the 1980 Preakness Stakes winner, broke his maiden at Pomona. Physican ran at the Fair before his 1962 Santa Anita Handicap win under Pierce while Squirtle Squirt won the 2001 Breeders Cup Sprint, at 25-1, a year after going around Pomona.

Los Al will keep one tradition, the $75,000 E.B. Johnston Stakes for 3-year-olds at 6 furlongs. Johnston, dubbed the ‘Pie Man’ while at Fairplex, also owned Old English Rancho in Ontario.

But while Los Al keeps one race, there are other familiar races that will disappear: Derby Trial Stakes, Beau Brummel Stakes, Governor’s Cup, Pio Pico Stakes, Las Madrinas Handicap and the Pomona Derby.

It may all be in the name of progress, but it just isn’t the same going to the fair these days.